This beige prose text by the great author John Steinbeck is the perfect example of how something that makes you happy just might make you feel better about life.
In one of my favorite passages from Steinbeck’s novel, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” he expresses his hope that the reader will realize just how much he cared about his readers. In this particular section, Steinbeck writes about how his wife (and his future mother-in-law) always told him he would go to hell when his death came, and he wanted to believe her.
The same could be said of the modern day author. It’s clear that Steinbeck’s wife and mother-in-law knew he was going to hell in his life, and they were trying to convince him to go to heaven. But he kept telling them he would go to hell if they told him he would go to heaven. I don’t know if there’s a better example of this than Steinbeck himself.
I’ve read a lot of books and watched a lot of TV. I love television and movies. I love books too. But I’m not sure I like them. I’m not sure I can do much better than this.
Now I am not sure that I love any of this. I think that the point of this post is that we should be aware of how we live. We should be aware of the things we do and don’t like, and that’s all. If I’m ever going to be a better writer, I’m going to have to do everything I can to be a better person. And that is going to involve a lot of honesty and openness.
I also think we should be aware of the things we like. I like writing and cooking and all the stuff that involves the senses, and I also like painting (and reading) and all the other things that involve the mind. If I am going to be a better person, I need to spend more time reading and thinking about things that matter to me, and less time on things that don’t.
The other thing we should be aware of is that we all have biases. We all have preferences and likes and dislikes, and we all know that these things don’t really change in the face of new evidence. We all have to learn to accept that. And I’m guessing that’s not going to be easy.
One of the most important lessons for a writer is to learn to accept that you are in the minority. You are the only person who knows what you like and dislike, and you are going to have to learn to accept that as well.
My biases are that I am a sucker for blue.
